xavier becerrahttp://24ahead.com/taxonomy/term/212/atom/feed2008-11-17T00:45:01-08:00Dozens of pro-illegal immigration groups were invited to Obama's mini-amnesty rollout and you weren'thttp://24ahead.com/dozens-pro-illegal-immigration-groups-were-invited-obama-min2011-08-25T20:45:38-07:002011-09-21T13:02:28-07:00admin

...The Jewish community, for instance, wants Latinos - reportedly the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the U.S. - to galvanize around issues pertaining to Israel. Latinos, on the other hand, are hoping that well-established Jewish groups will push even harder for immigration reform, which has become a political third rail in Congress.
In some respects, the partnership is one of convenience, not just convictions.
"The Jewish community ... has always been receptive and open to others communities' problems and concerns," said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), a chair and co-founder of the caucus. "Now we have some needs and wants, and establishing good relationships is a two-way street; it has benefits for both communities."
Engel, a Brooklyn-born lawmaker whose district is around 20 percent Latino, maintains that Latinos and Jews are natural allies.
"Most Jews, frankly, are sympathetic to immigration reform, which of course is the number one priority in Latino communities," Engel explained. "Jews identify as refugees and as people who wanted to come to America."
On the other side of the coin, "The Jewish community has a big interest in Israel, and we think it's natural that the Latino community in the U.S. should be ­supporters of a larger U.S.-Israel relationship," Engel added. "It's important that we allow other communities to understand what our struggle is."
The idea for the congressional coalition apparently originated with the American Jewish Committee, a group that has long touted the importance of engaging with the Hispanic world, both in the U.S. and in Central and South America, where it operates foreign bureaus.
...There's good reason, however, to question the Hispanic community's commitment to Israel.
Recent surveys indicate that nearly half of Latinos feel the United States is "too supportive" of Israel. Furthermore, just 34 percent of Latinos said that they sympathize with Israel over the Palestinians when it comes to the conflict in the Middle East, according to a March poll by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
Latin American countries have also become integral to the Palestinians' unilateral quest for statehood. Earlier this year, four Latin nations - Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador - officially recognized a Palestinian state, and some Jews are concerned that others will follow suit.
"There are a lot of Latin American countries where hyphenated Americans still have roots and ties in their former countries," said Engel, explaining that American immigrants could help influence public opinion in the region. "A good coalition of Latinos and Jews could be helpful in allowing us to present our thoughts and feelings about Israel and the U.S."

[2] From ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=2818295&ct=10876661&notoc=1:

June 14, 2011 – Washington – AJC, together with members of the U.S. House of Representatives, will launch the Latino-Jewish Congressional Caucus at an event tonight on Capitol Hill. The establishment of the Latino-Jewish Caucus was strongly supported by AJC’s Latino and Latin America Institute.
Caucus co-chairs Reps. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) will address the June 14 reception. Also slated to speak are the Israeli and Mexican ambassadors to the U.S. Dozens of Latino and Jewish leaders will be in attendance.
“The Latino-Jewish Congressional Caucus will provide for further collaborative engagement between U.S. Latinos and Jews on domestic and foreign policy issues of joint interest and concern,” said Dina Siegel Vann, director of AJC’s Latino and Latin American Institute. The AJC institute was created in 2005 to advance the global advocacy organization’s collaborative relations with the largest and fastest growing minority in the U.S...

The congressman has released a statement; I'll let you determine whether his explanation washes:

"On the morning of February 20th, I was invited to address some 500 people gathered to discuss the human tragedy of a broken immigration system and the need to fix it. At some point during that meeting, a political operative for a congressional campaign asked if we could recite the pledge of allegiance. The meeting was already under way and the question was unexpected. It took us all by surprise. When the speaker explained that he was serious and asked me specifically if we could say the pledge, I said yes and gestured to the moderator, who then led the entire gathering in reciting the pledge."

Does that match up with what's on the video? What about the reactions of all the others on the video?

What I need you to do is to send this video around, either as peekURL.com/vod7tha or as youtube.com/watch?v=XBbsEnTf7C4

And, when a pundit, reporter, or blogger promotes amnesty, post the video in their comments and press them for a reaction. Or, use the video to discredit them to their readers. That can lead to deleted comments, but if you do it the right way it can be very effective.

Becerra himself means little and he and others on the fringe like Luis Gutierrez can't do much damage without assistance from others. Your goal should be to cut people like them off from mainstream support.

Huffpo proof that cong becerra lied on fox SIEU mtg start time and pledge tape not out of context

That links to this, and presumably the "started" bolded below is what he means by proof as to Becerra's presumed claim about the request for the Pledge occurring after the meeting had started. That same post also says that another group involved with the meeting is the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium and confirms that the person behind the podium is Salas:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America," boomed the man's voice inside the standing-room only third floor hall at the Los Angeles SCEI-ULTCW local. He continued, "and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." That's how this lesson in civic participation started. The more than 500 participants at this immigration reform townhall, one that included many students and their parents, union members, faith leaders, and a few Republicans. They joined the man as they anxiously waited to hear from the man of the hour, Congressman Xavier Becerra, the Vice-Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.

Illegal aliens can get healthcare benefits under House bill: Congressional Research Service (HR 3200)http://24ahead.com/illegal-aliens-can-get-healthcare-benefits-under-house-bill-2009-08-26T12:20:42-07:002009-08-27T11:37:05-07:00admin

The Congressional Research Service - part of the Library of Congress - now confirms that illegal aliens will be able to access healthcare benefits under the House healthcare reform bill (HR 3200). This contradicts claims made by Barack Obama, several members of Congress, Chuck Todd, FactCheck, and several other sources and shows yet again the basic untrustworthiness of those sources.
Excerpts from CRS's report are below, but the most important thing is to use this against those sources:
1. Contact those who've misled about this issue and ask them to print a correction. If they won't, use that fact to help discredit them. I'm leaving that as an exercise; try FactCheck first.
2. Go to townhalls and call out members of Congress who've misled about this issue. A question you can ask - in the cases where it applies - has been added to the update here. What I need you to do is to contact local groups that are going to public meetings and urge them to ask that question rather than the bad questions that such groups have been asking.

Yesterday, Barack Obama met with various members of Congress to discuss comprehensive immigration reform. His remarks are at [1], a list of attendees is at [2], and some quotes from attendees is at [3]. Nothing very important appears to have happened or been said. Note also that before the meeting, Rahm Emanuelsaid, "If the votes were there [for amnesty], you wouldn't need to have the meeting. You could go to a roll call".

John McCain not invited to Obama immigration "reform" confab on June 17; Obama not serious about "reform"?http://24ahead.com/john-mccain-not-invited-obama-immigration-reform-confab-june2009-06-04T18:16:08-07:002009-06-04T19:10:20-07:00admin

The White House has kept the guest list private, but invitees include, Sen. Chuck Schumer, who may introduce an immigration reform bill by the end of this year, as well as Reps. Xavier Becerra, the vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus, and John Conyers, the House Judiciary Committee chairman. Not invited: Sen. John McCain, who introduced an immigration bill with Sen. Edward Kennedy and played a central role in the debate in recent years...
[One senior GOP aide, whose boss had been involved in recent immigration debates] suggested the White House might be using the meeting as a "smokescreen to cover Obama’s campaign promise," giving proponents of immigration reform a symbolic victory, but not necessarily making a good-faith push to pass legislation.
"This is a show," the aide continued. “There’s neither the time nor the inclination to deal with immigration later this year and going into next year. It’s a political football. Why not highlight the perceived divide between Hispanics and Republicans? What better wedge issue than immigration?"

Luis Gutierrez' "National Family Unity Tour" to pull heartstrings in support of illegal immigration; ask him a questionhttp://24ahead.com/luis-gutierrez-national-family-unity-tour-pull-heartstrings-2009-02-25T09:42:43-08:002009-03-17T14:34:34-07:00admin

Rep. Luis Gutierrez is conducting a nationwide tour where he and his friends will be visiting churches and conducting townhall meetings from coast to coast to push for comprehensive immigration reform. The schedule is below, and what I need you to do is organize a local effort to go to one of these events and make him look bad on video by asking him a tough question designed to show that he's engaging in false compassion and that he's not promoting the best policies. Please note that I'm talking about very difficult questions, not rants. The goal is to discredit Gutierrez and his friends by countering their emotionalism with logic.

Solis, who is the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants, has been the only member of Congress of Central American descent. She just won a fifth term representing heavily Hispanic portions of eastern Los Angeles County and east LA... Andy Stern, president of the 1.9-million member Service Employees International Union, the 51-year-old praised Solis for her deep roots in the union movement. He recalled marching with her in Los Angeles - well before she was elected to Congress - to seek higher wages and benefits for janitors...

Even those not familiar with her past won't need much to read between the lines: she's a strong supporter of illegal immigration, even going as far as promoting comprehensive immigration reform standing side-by-side with Mexican elected officials at a Washington DC press conference she helped organize. Expect her - like other Obama picks - to support illegal/massive immigration through various means.

This might also have been another quota pick; previously, Obama had named or was set to name four Hispanics to top positions in his administration. However, with the news that Xavier Becerra was dropping out, Solis might have been chosen.

President-elect Obama's selection of a labor secretary who has steadfastly opposed protecting American workers from the impact of millions of illegal aliens in our labor force is yet another blow to hard-working families who desperately need those jobs. Both in Congress and as a member of the California Legislature, Hilda Solis has vigorously opposed efforts to institute and enforce laws against employing illegal aliens.

There was some consideration given to announcing Becerra, a leading Hispanic lawmaker, for the job yesterday along with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), who's also Hispanic, but the Becerra pick was not settled. Sources yesterday said they understood that the transition was looking to bring as many as three Latinos into cabinet-level or senior positions in the administration.

Former two-term Washington governor Gary Locke, a Chinese-American, has also been under consideration for the job.

UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times offers "Becerra's a bad choice for trade post" (link). Apparently they're afraid that Becerra would cost their friends money. They're also unaware of their history:

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) could become the administration's point person on international trade. He's a terrible choice, and not just because of a history of unsavory behavior -- such as his successful efforts to win a pardon from President Clinton for convicted cocaine kingpin Carlos Vignali, or the screamingly unethical robo-calls his campaign engineered during his run for Los Angeles mayor in 2001. Becerra is a leader of the Democratic Party's protectionist wing, which opposes NAFTA, the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement and most other trade deals.

The LAT has a history of "protecting" Antonio Villaraigosa, someone who also wrote a letter in support of pardoning Vignali, an issue that played a part in both his races for mayor; see, for instance, this.
UPDATE: Becerra has declined the offer. From this:

The highest-profile candidate to decline a job offer from President-elect Barack Obama, the Los Angeles Democrat said he thinks he can have more influence as a ranking member of Congress than as the lead advisor on trade agreements... "I don't see how it can be the front-burner issue for him, nor should it be, quite honestly," Becerra said in an interview with Los Angeles public radio. "Clearly the priority for this president, and I think he said it very well, will be economic recovery and jobs."

Barack Obama, John McCain, and even Hillary Clinton will all be speaking at this year's convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), an illegal immigration-supporting group that was once patriotic but has since been radicalized. As shown by the attendees discussed below, the convention will be a nexus of those who do not support what's in the best interests of the U.S. For example, here's a 2007 quote from their national treasurer Jaime Martinez, who'll also be appearing at one of their workshops:

"We must not sell out, and we must fight for the rights of our people that have been here! ...This is our land and we're going to fight for just and humane comprehensive immigration reform!... ...We did not cross the border, the border crossed us."

Needless to say, such sentiments are straight out of Reconquista 101, and both candidates (and Hillary) should be asked why they're speaking to such a group. Please go to one of their public appearances, read that quote, and then ask them to renounce LULAC.

McCain will appear at their "Diversity Luncheon" tomorrow; the "Open Dialogue with Obama" will be later that day. Hillary will speak on Friday. On Wednesday there's an invitation-only Ohtli Reception; whether that's related to the Mexican government's awards with the same name isn't known. Others attending include Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.

"We are at a turning point for both Latinos and our country's leadership. This is the Latino summer."

On an ominous note, they want to increase the numbers of Latinos working for the federal government. While that might initially seem to be a worthy goal, their actual goal is to embed those who sympathize with their agenda in positions of power [1]:

In partnership with the OPM Management Development Center and the Graduate School, USDA, [LULAC's Federal Training Institute] offers workshops that enable mid and senior level government employees to enhance their leadership competencies skills that develop the Executive Core Qualifications required for entry to the Senior Executive Service...

Their workshops include the following:
* "Election 2008: Mobilizing the Latino Vote", featuring Rep. Mike Honda of the DNC and Mike Duncan of the RNC.

* "The Media Objectivity in Covering Immigration". Mentions "Lou Dobbs, O'Reilly and Glenn Beck"; Ray Suarez of PBS has been invited to moderate. Showing their objectivity, all four panelists will presumably support illegal immigration.

* "Global Warming and its Consequences for Latinos": "Panelist will address why the Latino population is overwhelming vulnerable to this phenomenon..." No, really.

* "Supersize Me: Strategies for Growing Council Membership": features Jaime Martinez, the source for the quote used at the start of this post.

UPDATE: McCain's remarks are here. Noting any difference between that and his previous speeches is left as an exercise. And, America Blog contributor Joe Sudbay was refused a press pass (americablog.com/2008/07/no-live-blogging-of-mccain-and-obama.html) despite being a LULAC useful idiot. He thinks it's because they don't understand new media, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they got the wrong impression about that domain name.

UPDATE 2: Here's a discussion of Barack Obama's remarks. He was introduced by L.A.'s own Antonio Villaraigosa (link). And, corporate sponsors included Denny's, Google and Fannie Mae (link). Those at the "Patron" level got a "Web Link", something that Google might frown on.

In the past, I've considered the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to be simply a group of mostly vile racial demagogues whose only interest is in support of others of their race even if that's done at the expense of everyone else.

But, I was wrong! In actual fact, they're keen observers of the political scene who are now offering extremely valuable advice that Barack Obama is urged to follow (link):

If he does not promise so-called comprehensive immigration reform, the lawmakers say, the only other way to win over Hispanic supporters of his erstwhile rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), may be to pick her as his running mate...

...[CHC Chairman Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.)]... said that the CHC will be looking — but not necessarily asking — for Obama to make as strong of a pledge as Clinton did to putting comprehensive immigration reform on his "first 100 days" agenda...

Obama’s campaign coordinator for Spanish-language media, Vince Casillas, said that while Obama has promised to take up immigration reform in his first year in office, he has not yet laid out his detailed plan for comprehensive reform...

If anyone has a blog at Obama's site, please use it to help Obama see the light on this issue. Just don't let it be known that I suggested it, the BHO campaign might think I was trying to hurt their chances or something.

In addition to Baca, those quoted include Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.)

Note also this "interesting" comment:

"But Latinos are brand-loyal, and after the Clinton brand, the McCain brand is the second-strongest among Latinos because of his military service and his immigration record," [Cecilia Munoz, the senior vice president of research, advocacy and legislation with the National Council of La Raza] said.

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) gave the Spanish-language Democrat response to the State of the Union.

He spent a few paragraphs on immigration and said the standard things. About the only thing different from what Bush said is that he went even further with the smears. Whereas Bush just said "without animosity and without amnesty", Becerra included the following:

On immigration, after years of Republican attacks and inaction, Democrats are ready to lead.